Every so often, we like to introduce you to a staff member and, this month, we get to know a bit more about the man behind our popular monthly Ekurhuleni Comes Alive Jazz Evenings – Birchwood’s Director Jazzman Mahlakgane.

For many who have dealt with us in the past, Jazzman is no stranger; however, there are a few interesting facts about him that you may not know! We delved a little deeper into the person behind the Director to find out what makes him tick.

Born in Johannesburg and from a family of eight, Jazzman is the fourth born of seven siblings – five brothers with two sisters. He completed his Higher Education Diploma through Kathorus College and then pursued his Marketing degree through IMM, before completing his MBA in Marketing.

Before joining us as Director of Birchwood Hotel, Jazzman was known for his talent on the soccer field – he played left wing for the Lenasia Dynamites and Blackpool. After retiring, he decided to offer his knowledge, expertise and advice to young players wanting to make a career out of the sport.

Now after 17 years of service at Birchwood Hotel, Jazzman believes the success of the hotel has largely been as a result of the strong relationships formed with staff and clients. He shares a few of his favourite aspects of the hotel.

“My favourite things about Birchwood are the environment, staff and the fact that Birchwood was built unlike any other hotel establishment in South Africa. Our location and ground level building structure make our rooms and venues, convenient and unique,” says Jazzman.

As a leader at our hotel, we asked Jazzman to tell us what he felt made a good leader.

“You need to be innovative and bold, to do things out of the norm and push the boundaries. Your work ethic needs to be grounded on consistency, reliability, honesty and confidentiality. But the most important quality is the ability to make decisions thoughtfully and timeously,” explains Jazzman.

In his downtime, Jazzman is a dedicated family man and some of his hobbies include reading, as well as playing soccer and golf.

We look forward to many more successful years with Jazzman as a leader on our team!